


it's okay

by vaultboii



Series: RED VS BLUE SERIES [1]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Gen, Panic Attacks, caboose now knows about death and it upsets him, episode 3 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 09:39:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14494143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vaultboii/pseuds/vaultboii
Summary: When Lopez’s head snaps off, Caboose freezes.





	it's okay

**Author's Note:**

> rewatching episode 3 of season 16 over and over, i've come to the conclusion that caboose was definitely panicking throughout that entire exchange between him and lopez. i also concluded that i'm a terrible person.

When Lopez’s head snaps off, Caboose freezes.

Friend’s heads don’t snap off. Caboose knows that usually when a head made funny noises the person would stop moving -- like Agent Washingtub did to that bad guy that one time. He doesn’t remember heads flying off when they land down from great heights or getting punched, or getting nice birthday surprises to the face. Obviously his head was still attached to his neck, even though he had fallen off that cliff because of that nice mic-lady, and that other time where the Red Sergeant had tried to push him off Red Base because Tucker had accidentally lost the Red’s helmet (he hadn’t lost it, definitely), and that other time where Donut had told him to take a swan dive into the ocean even though the water was shallow.

He’s not sure if Lopez’s head falling off was a ‘bad thing’. ‘Bad things’ went under two categories: no ice-cream, or Tucker’s Rock. Lopez’s head wasn’t a rock, and it wasn’t ice-cream. It was sparking near his feet, disconnected wires sticking up with small jolts of electricity every few seconds. It wasn’t melting, or crumbled, or a horrible combination. It couldn’t be a ‘bad thing’.

No. That wasn’t right. ‘Bad things’ went under three categories now. Caboose stares at the flickering helmet and thinks,  _ gone forever. _

“Lopez?” He’s hesitant about poking the helmet – Tucker told him never to ever poke someone when they were sleeping, especially if it was 2AM and they were attempting ‘to get some  _ fucking _ beauty sleep, god dammit Caboose.’ Maybe Lopez was sleeping? “This is no place to be falling asleep, Lopez. We need to figure out the pastry riddle.”

The head says nothing, only flickers. The visor is growing dull.

“Lopez, this is not funny.” He pokes the head. Still no response. “Lopez.  _ Lopez _ . Lopez.”

_ Can robots die? _

No. They can’t. He stares down at the dimming visor, and swallows. Lopez was merely sleeping – taking a well-needed break, maybe! Absolutely. They had all been working hard these past few days, and who could blame Lopez if he needed the break? Not Caboose, that’s who. Lopez was entitled for rest. He was perfectly fine with Lopez sleeping on the job!

_ Gone forever,  _ says Temple’s voice oh-so happily in his mind.

_ No,  _ he thinks back. Maybe if he reattached the head, Lopez would speak. Caboose almost trips over his own feet looking for the torso. It’s lying against the nearby wall, face-first and sending up pulses of electricity as well. The place where the head and neck should attach is dented, and snapped.

What could reattach the head? He doesn’t have glue. He doesn’t have a screwdriver. He doesn’t have anything but this time-thingy gun, and a pistol, and this wonderglue. He looks down at the red team’s robot again, and sees the electricity grow a bit weaker.

And then there’s a  _ feeling _ . He knows it’s a feeling because it’s dark and scary like everyone says the X-helmet man is – it feels like something is biting its way down his stomach, giant butterfly wings fluttering in his gut. He can’t breathe, and he’s not holding his breath, and when he goes to try to breathe he gasps for air. It reminds him of back in Blood Gulch with his armour, when Church was still --

The feeling racks up higher. Caboose wheezes as he stares down at Lopez and tries to squelch it. He sounds like Jensen on her ash-something attacks.

It hurts.

“Stomach, please stop hurting,” he gasps out -- and the feeling grows stronger in pressure, but he shouldn’t be concerning himself about it because the ‘bad thing’ with Lopez is much more important. Attach the head. He could try the wonderglue? It tasted sticky when he had eaten some because Tucker told him too. And, if he combined it with leaves and spit, maybe it would work. And then Lopez would wake up and he’d know what to do. “Please stop hurting, we need to help Lopez and wake him up. And then everything will be good, and we can solve Donut’s riddle.”

But what if it didn’t work? What if Lopez died and went to Heaven with Church and Loco, and then he was  _ gone forever?  _ What if he didn’t wake up, and Caboose was left here alone with the time-thingy gun and who would be there to tell him what to do? Who would help him? He’d be all alone, with no friends; no, with a  _ dead  _ friend, and –

“He’ll be okay,” he repeats louder to the increasing pressure in his stomach. “He’ll be okay. He’ll be  _ okay. _ ”

Spit. Leaves. Glue.

Caboose breathes in and reaches for some leaves, shakily.

Lopez won’t be gone forever. He’ll be  _ okay. _

“Wake up, wake up. Wake up, Lopez!”


End file.
